The history of a tree is told in large and small growth rings. Thick rings indicate good growth while thin rings indicate a poor growth year. For Christians, you cannot read this year’s growth ring until next year; it may take a year or two to view this year’s growth. You will look back and say, “That was a good year, a season of plenty of sunshine and rain”. You may look at another year to see there was a drought and bitter cold all resulting in low growth. We often best see God’s work in our lives and our own growth looking back. His hand is at work in your life now; yield to it. To use another analogy, we don’t have to walk around every moment with our hands on our spiritual pulse. Just keep walking with Him; just keep feeding your soul and exercising good spiritual practices and disciplines. Some day you will look back in amazement at what God has done and what you are becoming.
“Being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.” Philippians 1:6 (NIV)
